Travelers

Chapter 10 - The Last Quest

Jacob was glad to have his own sword that he had trained with since he was 13. It felt familiar in his hands, and he was more efficient than he had been with the strange blade from Rohan. He started pushing back orcs as he and the king fought in a synergy that shouldn't have been possible for two people that only met a few weeks before, but Jacob had spent years watching his fighting style and learning how to use it as well. Vince had charged into battle with only a iron staff, but every time he swung with the staff, he sent a wave of energy forward into the nearby orcs. Soon, the orcs were thinning in numbers, and Vince had piled a large number of them together by simply standing in place and swinging his rod as the orcs charged him.

Jacob and Aragorn covered Vince's back, while the others just stayed out of Vince's way. Defréndel had left them when they had departed Rivendell for the second time to find their way back home. As they fought, Jacob noticed that the others had been separated from them. He hoped they could hold their own against the orc, especially while defending Elanor. Soon the orcs began to retreat, even though there was still almost a hundred of them. Mal, Mendon, and Cat were still chasing after them for some reason.

Following their lead, Jacob went with them to see why they still tried to fight the orcs. When they finally lost the orcs, they trudged back, dark looks on their faces. Jacob realized why they all looked so downcast. Elanor wasn't with them.

"Where is she?" Jacob called to them. They had no response, but Mal managed to lift her finger and point in the direction that the orcs had retreated in. They were headed east to Mordor, obviously. Jacob felt that they had to give chase in order to eventually catch up to them, but Aragorn pointed out that they needed a plan. Mendon, Mal, Vince, and Aragorn moved together to try to figure out a plan to save Elanor. Cat had sat down next to the road, setting her weapons down next to her. Jacob walked over to her and asked the what was up.

"I'm the one who let her get captured," she sighed, "When we got separated, I was supposed to be the one to defend her. I lost focus and the orcs got around me. It's my fault that we can't go home yet. I'm sorry." She refused to meet his gaze, but he still knelt down and then sat next to her. He laid down and stayed there for a minute before saying anything.

"The sky is pretty beautiful, the breeze is gentle, the grass is green and soft, and I'm lying next to... a friend. I don't think that being stuck here would be all that bad. You know, the only reason I was going to leave was because I thought I had to leave for you guys to leave. I don't blame you for her capture, I'm just glad they didn't take you too," He said. He simply lay there without saying anything more. Suddenly, a shout came from the others. It would seem they had figured out what to do. They were ready to save the Elf Star.

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Cat felt a little better after her talk with Jacob, but she still felt a little responsible. She didn't want the hobbit girl to go through the same thing that she had endured, with Jacob's help of course, only a few weeks ago. She felt that because she had been the one to fail her, she had to be the one to work the hardest to save her. Jacob's words and their plan for how to go about saving her had given Cat some hope, but they also made her sure of one thing. They needed to leave this world as soon as they could. Their being here was only causing problems for everyone. Vince had been drawn back because he felt they needed help, so they did need to leave soon.

She approached Mal as they walked toward Mordor and said, "I want to take the most vital part of the plan. It was my fault she was captured, so I want to be the one to save her." Mal looked at Cat with a look that nobody would have recognized. She just shook her head and told her it wasn't her fault. Cat was starting to get annoyed by everyone saying it wasn't her fault. Just because she couldn't have possibly stopped it, didn't mean that she couldn't have tried harder.